The story
In November 2023, I traveled with a group through southern Pakistan for the second time. Sindh, in the country’s southeast, is rich in agricultural resources. Cotton, wheat, rice, and sugarcane are grown there, and livestock farming is well developed. The province also contributes significantly to the country’s natural gas and oil production. Despite this wealth, local people remain very poor.
It is strange how photography and poverty go hand in hand. Photographing poverty has always felt like an uneasy pursuit—a tension between the discomfort of photographing poor people and the powerful urge to shoot, shoot, shoot. This trip and this region speak to our desire to see everything, even what is ugly and unpleasant, because we travel to learn, to see, and to feel.
Sindh's landscape ranges from the alluvial plains along the Indus River to the Thar Desert and the Kirthar Mountains. Despite its natural beauty, the rural population faces many challenges. The province is vulnerable to natural disasters because of its geography and climate. The devastating 2022 floods damaged homes, infrastructure, and farmland, leaving millions in need of assistance.
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The floods destroyed vast areas of farmland and disrupted the irrigation and flood-protection systems that support the livelihoods of half a million farmers. They also caused the loss of thousands of livestock animals. Food shortages, rising prices, and disrupted employment further compounded the challenges facing rural communities.
Poverty rates in rural Sindh are alarmingly high, with approximately 37 percent of the population living below the poverty line. Flood-affected districts have faced especially severe challenges, including higher poverty and stunting rates. Limited access to essential services—including healthcare, education, clean water, sanitation, and electricity—further compounds these hardships.
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Sindh, known as the "Gateway of Islam," has a distinct cultural identity shaped by Sufism. The province is home to the Sindhi people and a significant population of Muhajirs, who migrated to the region after the Partition of British India in 1947. Despite their cultural diversity, Hindus and Muslims in Sindh share a strong connection to Sufism, which plays a vital role in shaping their identity.
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